Historic Coverlet c. 1936

Ruth Barnes made this ‘Historic Coverlet’ sometime between 1855 and 1995 using who knows what! She approached the making of this like all good artists do: with a playful sense of process. What gets me about this coverlet is how the textures are built from simple stitches, almost like pixels forming an image. You can practically feel the loops and knots of the thread, a real physicality to the piece. Look closely at the way the bird's wing feathers are filled in with cross-hatching. It’s a small detail but it gives the whole design a graphic punch. The color palette is simple: red, white and blue. The coverlet isn't perfect, but it’s this handmade quality that makes it so appealing. It reminds me of the work of Ree Morton, who also played with craft techniques and a folksy aesthetic. Art is nothing if not a conversation, a dialogue across time and between makers.